FDA can’t find cause of pet poison from jerky treats; seeks help

Baffled by the cause and seeing another surge in illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration reached out to owners and veterinarians this week to help it find the poison behind the sickening of at least 3,600 dogs and 10 cats since 2007.

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By
SUE MANNING
Posted Oct. 24, 2013 @ 11:29 am

LOS

ANGELES — All that’s left of Doodles are his ashes, a clay impression of his

paw and a whole lot of questions owner Patricia Cassidy has about his

mysterious death.

Doodles

is believed to be one of 580 dogs in the U.S. that have died in the past six

years from eating pet jerky from China. Baffled by the cause and seeing another

surge in illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration reached out to owners and

veterinarians Tuesday to help it find the poison behind the sickening of at

least 3,600 dogs and 10 cats since 2007.

Within

hours of eating the suspect jerky, pets lost their appetite, became lethargic,

vomited and had diarrhea and other symptoms. The strips made of chicken, duck,

sweet potatoes or dried fruit were sold under a variety of brand names.

There

was a decrease in 2007 after some products were voluntarily removed from the